Richie Canning overcomes Welsh title disappointment to win Connelly war

Bridgend’s Richie Canning (6-0-1) came through a hard-fought points triumph against Derbyshire’s gutsy Lee Connelly (6-23-2) in a war.

The 26-year-old super-lightweight was on the right side of a 59-54 scoreline, which didn’t tell the full tale of their frantic six sessions on the undercard of Sanigar Events’ Acid Test show.

Canning had been scheduled to contest the vacant Welsh title against Rhys Saunders. However, the Cardiff native withdrew due to an undisclosed injury a fortnight ago. It’s unclear whether the bout will be rescheduled.

Content to stay in the pocket, Canning was eager to make his mark from the opening bell. Short straights were fired down the pipe and found their target by the second stanza, causing Connelly to retreat to a neutral corner and Canning’s quick flurries peppered the recipient to the floor.

When Connelly returned upright, the Welshman pounced with more success, especially with an uppercut. The assault came to an end when Connelly launched –and landed – a speculative right over the top. It connected flush and the same shot had Canning in bother in the following third round.

The Paul Paveldish trained prospect squeezed up his defence amidst Connelly’s frenzied response, which included a flamboyant bolo punch. Amidst a lip injury, Connelly was rarely deterred and it led to bruising exchanges down the stretch, each taking it in turns to tattoo the other until the final bell.

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